A marketing agency is similar to an advertising agency in that it helps companies to create and release advertisements. However marketing expands beyond advertising and promotion. When running a marketing agency, you must help with other key elements of marketing, including product development, setting prices and helping clients to get their products into stores.

1. Dedicate different units at your agency to focus on each of the four P’s of marketing -- price, place, product and promotion -- for clients. You will have separate units for pricing, distribution, product development and advertising.

2. Employ talented individuals with marketing training to head each unit of your agency as project leaders or managers. Schedule weekly meetings with all unit heads to receive or give updates as needed. Provide your employees with training in important subjects including marketing research, budgeting and project management.

3. Facilitate fluid communication among your various marketing units. You might have a few clients who want help only with advertising or distribution, whereas others may need help with all marketing elements. Your unit heads must work together to assist these clients.

4. Create a standard, proprietary marketing plan for your employees to use as a starting point when working with new clients. Marketing agency CEO Lisa Renner explains, “The marketing plan often provides the first glimpse of resources required to implement a new project.”

5. Use your own agency as your first client. Develop a recognizable brand identity for the agency -- including logo, motto and company colors -- and create a full-scale marketing plan that helps you to build a list of clients. Promote your company in marketing and advertising industry publications. Use the same or a similar successful model when creating a marketing plan for future clients.

6. Establish a consistent procedure for initiating and completing each client assignment. For instance, if you have an online marketing agency, the process is to collect information from the client online or over the phone, send a quote and proposal via email and update the client on its status through emails or instant messaging. If you establish a more traditional brick-and-mortar agency, submit a written proposal in response to the customer’s request for proposal and meet in person to discuss and give updates regarding the project.

7. Keep close track of your billings for your marketing services. Collecting on invoices is a matter of high concern when you run a marketing agency. Hire a bookkeeper or accountant who specializes in collecting amounts due from clients in a timely fashion.

Tip

Always engage in formal service contracts with clients who choose your services. Work for a marketing or advertising agency to get first-hand experience of running this type of business before attempting to open your own agency.

About the Author

Louise Balle has been writing Web articles since 2004, covering everything from business promotion to topics on beauty. Her work can be found on various websites. She has a small-business background and experience as a layout and graphics designer for Web and book projects.